Essence Of Hangzhou Tour

TOUR ITINERARY Tour code: GWAC-HZ-03 Day Activities Hotel DAY 01 Arrive in Hangzhou (L) You will fly or take the train to Suzhou, and upon arrival at either the Hangzhou airport or train station, you will be picked up by your English-speaking guide. Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province in East China, is one of the more modern and prosperous cities in China, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Shanghai. It sits at the southern end of the Grand Canal and is one of China's seven ancient national capitals. Hangzhou's "heavenly" beauty attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to its exquisite West Lake (Xi Hu) area each year to enjoy the placid lake, beautiful gardens, reflecting pools, lavish temples and lakeside teahouses. After your pick-up you’ll be taken to your hotel for the evening. If you have signed up for our “deluxe” tour, you will stay at the 5-star Radisson Plaza Hotel or similar, and if you have signed up for the “standard” tour, you will stay at the 4-star Friendship Hotel or similar. After giving you time to unpack, we’ll get started on your touring. Our first stop will be the Linyin Temple, which is the most famous Buddhist temple in Hangzhou. Commonly translated as "Temple of the Soul's Retreat", Linyin Temple is one of the largest and wealthiest temples in China. It was originally founded in 326 AD, but has been rebuilt no less than sixteen times since then. The current buildings are modern restorations of late Qing buildings. The hillside to the south of the temple is also famous as a site of old Buddhist caves and rock carvings. Many of these date back to the time when the temple was first founded and a great many were carved during the blossoming of Buddhism during the Tang dynasty. Despite some damage inflicted by red guards during the Cultural Revolution, the temple and grounds escaped much of the wholesale destruction that other temples in China suffered because of the protection of Premier Zhou Enlai. Today the temple is thriving, though most of the thousands of visitors who come do so for sightseeing and not for religious reasons. We’ll then continue on to the Six Harmonies Pagoda. Located on the north bank of the Qiantang River, Six Harmonies Pagoda was built in 970 to dispel the river's tidal bore, which was thought to be an evil manifestation. It was believed that unwanted natural phenomenon could be subdued by the building of pagodas, according to Buddhist understanding. Fortunately for tourism in Hangzhou the tidal waves don’t seem to have been significantly suppressed, and still hold the world record of 9 meters (30 feet). Liuhe Ta (Six Harmonies Pagoda), was once a seven-storey stone pagoda, but later a 13-story wooden pagoda was built around the outside enclosing the wooden structure. The top level, accessed by a spiral staircase in the stone pagoda, offers a fine view of the surrounding mountains, the Qiantang River and Qiantang River Great Bridge, which is the largest double-decker (road above, rail below) bridge built by China. The ceiling of each level is carved and painted with flowers, birds and animals in an elegant and delicate style. For lunch we will dine at the Tianwaitian Restaurant. Tianwaitian is located at the foot of the Peak Flying from Afar at Linyin. It is best known for vegetarian dishes, favored by the Buddhist pilgrims who visit Linyin. Stir-fried Shrimps with Dragon Well Tea, Chestnut Porridge with Sweet-scented Osmanthus, and Twin Sparrows Greeting the Spring are some of the most famous dishes. After lunch we’ll pay a visit to the village of Meijiawu. Meijiawu Village is located in the western part of the West Lake scenic area. It has a history of over 600 years. Situated among lush green hills, it is a rustic, natural scenic spot. You can have a tea culture experience by learning tea picking and processing. It also showcases tea products of all kinds including jasmine tea, Dragon Well tea, green tea, black tea, and wulong tea. You will then be taken back to your hotel. The night can be spent at your own leisure, but you might want to check out the city’s numerous delightful teahouses. In addition, there are numerous bars and pubs throughout Hangzhou. 3 or 4 star for Standard; 5 star for deluxe DAY 02 Hangzhou-departure (B, L) After breakfast we’ll resume your sightseeing. We’ll start our day with a cruise on Hanghzou’s most famed attraction, West Lake. West Lake is a man-made lake and is created after the Chinese love for garden style parks for recreation. Hangzhou's West Lake Scenic Area, in the southwest of the city, covers 60 square kilometers (23 square miles), of which West Lake itself occupies 5.6 square kilometers (2.2 square miles). West Lake is a place of tranquility where urbanity becomes a silhouette on the northeast horizon and mountains near and far surround it on the other three sides. The occasional pagoda and Chinese-style arched bridge add atmosphere to the tree-lined walkways, verdant islands and hills. We’ll take our boat to Fairy Island in order to visit “Three Pools Mirroring the moon”. Three miniature stone pagodas, which act like beacons, built over 800 years ago and 2 meters in height, are the centerpieces of the scenic spot called "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon". To the west of “Three Pools Mirroring the Moon “Island stand rounded hollow stone pagodas with five round holes like windows around the top and bottom levels. On the night of the Mid-Autumn festival, when the moon shines full and bright in the sky, a candle is lit inside each of the pagodas. The light from the holes and the moon cast their reflections on the water, hence the name. Following West Lake, we’ll pay a visit to the village of Meijiawu. Meijiawu Village is located in the western part of the West Lake scenic area. It has a history of over 600 years. Situated among lush green hills, it is a rustic, natural scenic spot. You can have a tea culture experience by learning tea picking and processing. It also showcases tea products of all kinds including jasmine tea, Dragon Well tea, green tea, black tea, and wulong tea. Before your departure, we’ll stop for lunch at the Tianxinglou Restaurant, which is located in the biggest hotel on the Gao Yin Street and has a unique elegance and antique flavor. It is famous throughout China for it's Hangzhou style dishes. You’ll then be taken back to your hotel, where you will pack up your belongings, and you’ll be driven to either the Hangzhou airport or train station, and you willtravel on to your next destination, ending your tour of Hangzhou. To combine your visit to Hangzhou with a visit to Shanghai, check out our Shanghai Expo world Tour page. 3 or 4 star for Standard; 5 star for deluxe

Tour Inclusions：

1. Hotels with daily western breakfasts;
2. Meals in accordance with that listed on the itinerary.
3. professional local guide & driver;
4. Private air-conditioned car or van for transportation;
5. Admission of the first gate.
6. Two bottles of mineral water per day.

Tour  exclusions：

1. Tip of the guide
2. Personal costs